Fortnite Tips & Tricks

Fortnite is a free-to-play co-operative zombie shooter from Epic Games which pits a band of four heroes against waves of zombies hell bent on stopping whatever it is you’re trying to do. It blends third-person shooting and crafting together with a cartoon-like art style that’s a hell of a lot of fun.

There is however a level of strategy involved in Fortnite both in its combat and progression through each mission. Whether it’s protecting an Atlas or retrieving data from a fallen weather balloon, you’re required to prepare yourself as well as your defences, and this is your key to success in Fortnite.

So here are a handful of tips and tricks to get you prepared for the zombie onslaught.

Destroy everything

One of the main features of Fortnite is the ability to craft weapons, traps, and even ammunition however it requires materials to do so. In order to get these materials, you take your trusty axe and start swinging. Pretty much everything other than the general landscape is destructible in Fortnite, so don’t shy around it.

If you enter a building, try breaking it down from the top to bottom. If you remove all the supports from the bottom first, it’ll all just crumble down and leave you without those precious materials.

Don’t be too reckless however as there are often items you can search which offer materials and even ammunition – probably the most precious resource in the game.

Bonus tip: That little target that appears each time you whack something; aim for it as hitting it in sequence almost doubles the damage you dish out to whatever object you’re smashing.

Search every corner of the map

At the start of missions, you’re required to scout the map to find the objective, however as soon as the objective has been found, don’t stop there. Spend more time searching for BluGlo, hidden loot chests, as well as saving Survivors. Doing this is way more rewarding than just diving straight into the thick of it.

Also, don’t be afraid to build. Though you may still need to find the objective, you can still use your building skills to access hard to reach locations. Trust me, it’ll be worth it. Pay attention to the map too, as an unexplored corner could yield some decent goodies.

Though that being said, don’t dawdle. Make sure you have enough time to complete the mission within the objective time. (which conveniently moves us onto the next tip)

Bonus tip: Loot chests are usually found in the basements of one and two storey houses or in the attic of ruined two storey houses. They’re also found within Fire Departments either at the lowest points or the highest points, and fairly deep within caves on forestry maps.

Keep and eye on Objectives and Bonuses

Aside from the mission objective you’ll be challenged with a number of other little missions such as completing the main objective in less than two days, as well as only building a certain number of walls, floors, and other things.

Try to aim for these as best as you can because you’ll be rewarded with more XP and loot at the end of the game. While it might seem imperative to get that last strip of spikes down, it’s not worth losing that sweet sweet bonus.

Wooden Floors, Metal Walls

When building your defences it’s best to use your stronger materials for walls. Wood is perfect to lay a floor / ceiling down as fast as possible as well as knocking up ramps to different levels. Walls on the other hand need to take a beating so it’s worth waiting a few more seconds for a metal or brick wall to be built.

Try not to be too hap-hazard with your windows too as decent traps can’t be built on walls with windows.

Build responsively

Obviously, you can’t guarantee that your team are going to pay much attention to the situation (as with most online multiplayer games) so take on the responsibility of building in response to what’s happening. If you and your team have built your defences to the west, but Husks are coming from the north, it might be worth spending a few minutes building up your northern defences as the rest of your team fend them off.

Get into the thick of it

Once the countdown begins and you’re faced with hordes of zombies, don’t just hang back. They’re just shuffling meat heads after all. Get down and dirty with your melee weapon, trust me you’ll have way more fun that way. It’s worth keeping an eye on your shield though, as if that goes, you’re screwed.

My general rule of thumb is to take enough of a beating until your shield has almost gone, then fall back a little. Usually though if you do end up in trouble, your team mates are usually capable of clearing the crowd around you.

Become Bait

In a similar vein to the previous tip, if a particular part of your base is getting hammered, try popping off a few shots towards Husks shuffling towards that area. Doing this usually draws their attention to you if you’re close enough, and they’ll start coming in your direction.

This will allow your team room to breathe and rebuild fallen walls and traps. This tactic can often be hit or miss depending on what zombies you’re faced with, however in the early stages of the game, your basic zombie will usually stumble your way after a few shots.

Communication

If you’re not diving in with a group of friends, please make use of the in-game chat or the simple communication wheel. If you’re off gallivanting across the other side of the map looking for treasure, try to make us aware of this otherwise we’ll just start without you, and it’s no fun that way.

If you need help saving a Survivor, let us know, we could all do with the rewards for doing so.

Finally, ask if we’re ready before activating the mission. Some of us might still be trying to find materials to craft ammo, others might still be building defences. Simply put, don’t be a dick.

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So there you have it, a few starting tips to get ahead in Fortnite. While most of these apply to the main gameplay, there’s still plenty to explore when it comes to defender and survivor management.